1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switch device for use in a vehicle arranged in such a manner that the position of a seat cushion thereof and that of a seat back thereof are adjusted by the driving power of a motor, the switch device being arranged to be operated by an occupant so as to control the above-described motor.
2. Background Information
There are vehicles which are equipped with power driven seats which can be moved by an electric force. The mechanisms of the type described above and which can be electrically driven are exemplified by a slide mechanism for moving the seat cushion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a reclining mechanism for tilting the seat back, a front vertical mechanism for vertically moving the front end portion of the seat cushion and a rear vertical mechanism for vertically moving the rear end portion of the seat cushion. In addition to the above-described basic power seat mechanisms, some vehicles are equipped with head restraint and/or side support mechanisms for supporting the side of the occupant.
The control switches for operating the above-described mechanisms are arranged in such a manner that a control knob for operating the slide mechanisms and that for operating the vertical mechanism are disposed on the side surface of the seat cushion. On the other hand, a control switch for the reclining mechanism is disposed on the side surface of the seat back.
However, the operating directions of the control switch of the type described above do not coincide with the actual movement directions of the seat. In addition, since the positions of the control switches are not integrated, the obtainable handling facility has been unsatisfactory. Although some structures have been arranged such that a variety of control switches are integrally disposed in a center console or the like of the vehicle, it is necessary to select one control switch from a plurality of control switches of the same shape. Therefore, an error can occur when the desired control switch is selected by an operator.
Accordingly, a power seat has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-103331 in which the switch for the slide mechanism and that for a reclining mechanism are integrally disposed on the side surface of the seat cushion and control knobs capable of switching the contacts of the switches are allowed to project from the side surface of the seat cushion. The control knob for the slide mechanism can be operated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so as to coincide with the actual movement direction of the seat cushion. Furthermore, the control knob for the reclining mechanism is rotated and centered in the traverse direction of the vehicle so as to coincide with the actual movement direction of the seat back. Therefore, the occupant can correctly select a desired switch so that an erroneous operation can be prevented.
Another power switch has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-29694 in which the switch for the slide mechanism and that for the reclining mechanism are disposed on the door of the vehicle and control knobs capable of switching the contacts of the switches are allowed to project into the vehicle compartment over the door trim. The above-described control knobs are disposed to form a substantially L-shape configuration so as to represent the shape of the passenger seat for a vehicle. Therefore, the control knob for the slide mechanism is operated in the longitudinal direction so as to coincide with the actual movement direction of the seat cushion. The control knob for the reclining mechanism is rotated and centered in the traverse direction of the vehicle so as to coincide with the actual movement direction of the seat back. Therefore, the occupant can move the seat cushion and the seat back without fear of an erroneous operation. As for relative structures, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open no. 60-244621 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-236409.
However, although the operating directions of the control knobs of the conventional power switches of the type described above can be made to coincide with the actual movement directions of the passenger seat, the handling facility has been unsatisfactory since the control knobs are arranged vertically on the surface on which the same are mounted and the occupant cannot thereby smoothly operate the control knobs. In addition, the operating directions of the conventional power seat switch structures as described above are limited to the two-dimensional directions. Therefore, the other mechanisms such as the side support mechanism and the thigh support mechanism cannot be integrated.
Since the control knobs for the power seat switches disposed on the side surface of the seat cushion cannot be visually confirmed by the occupant who is normally sitting on the seat, the handling facility is unsatisfactory. On the other hand, according to the power seat switch disposed on the surface of the vehicle door, the seat cushion and the door are relatively moved toward each other at the time of moving the seat cushion. Therefore, the position of the control knob is undesirably changed after the seat cushion has been moved. Therefore, if the seat cushion is moved a long distance, the handling facility is critically deteriorated.